In swimming there is no stroke harder to learn then the Butterflystroke. This is the stroke where the swimmer swims kicking like a dolphinand pulling with his or her hands at the same time under the water andrecovering for the next stroke above water with both arms at the sametime in an almost circular motion. There are many steps in learning how toexecute this stroke correctly. These steps are called drills, when youperform them in the pool. The first drill you should learn is the Kick drill.
In this drill you learn to kick with your feet like a dolphin, making sure notto flutter kick with your feet, to move smoothly through the water withyour head connected with your spine; this is the position your head is inwhen you stand with good posture, and make one smooth motion withyour arms at your side thrusting only your hips, making a smooth relaxedshallow rolling motion through the water. Also, only one part of yourbody at a time should be slightly out of the water, starting from the backof your head, and continued down your back to your feet. The next drill to learn is the balance drill. This drill, to me, wasextremely difficult to do. The balance drill is almost the same as the kickdrill, only the swimmer puts his or her arms out in front of them with onehand on top of the other squeezing his or her head with their arms justbehind the ears, remembering the kick drill to keep your head connectedwith your spine.
Make the same smooth rolling motion only this timemaking sure your fingers are always pointing perpendicular to the wall ofthe pool, beginning with the back of your arms and head slightly out of thewater. Continued down your back and to your feet. When trying this drill,I always moved my hands up and down as I did the rolling motion and itdid nothing but make me dive deeper under the water then I wanted to,thus making me go slower. When you can do this drill without drowningyourself, your ready to start your pull drill. The pull drill you should do, is a one arm pull drill.
This drill issupposed to help make your shoulders and pectoral muscles moreflexible. While flutter kicking, keeping your head connected with yourspine, with you arms out in front of you, with one arm, point your handdown perpendicular to the bottom of the pool. Pull back with your elbowbent at about 90. With your tricep level with the surface of the wateruntil your forearm is pointing straight towards the bottom of the pool, orwhen your hand is straight with your forearm, then you start to make apushing motion like your trying to push something down into a hole withone hand at your side until your elbow is straight.
Then you recover, withyour arm straight. Bring your arm up and over the surface of the waterback to the starting position. Repeat this motion, alternating arms untilyour ready to add the kick. Adding the kick to the stroke is hard to explain but I found that itcame quit naturally.
It seems that every time you kick, after your head hasbeen briefly part way out of the water, you pull with one arm, and whenyou recover you should have completed one smooth kick and as youbring you arm over to their starting position, it should seem like themomentum of your arm recovery will give your next kick a jump start. Then, repeat this motion alternating each arm. After all these drills youshould be ready to put together the whole stroke which presents newproblems. I will start you at the starting block to bring you through stepby step a 50 yard butterfly stroke. You’re up behind the starting block the announcer says”Swimmers step up”.
You step up on the block, bent over ready tograb the front of the starting block, with one foot in front of the other, thetoes of your front foot gripping the front of the starting block or both feettogether with toes griping the front of the block. Looking about 6 or 7feet out into the water, or the place you’re gonna dive into out in thewater. The starter says, .
